Paper Start here
Your first ten minutes in Paper, step by step and without jargon.
When you create your account, the notebook already comes with the Start here page and a Guides folder. They repeat what's on this page, inside the app itself. You can delete them whenever you want: the guides stay in Settings → About → Guides.
Write
Click any line and write. Enter creates a new line. There's no save button: Paper saves on its own, on this device, even without internet.
Pick the line type with the / bar
On an empty line, type / and choose: heading, list, task, quote, callout, table, board, timeline, chart, image or file.
Link one page to another
Type [[ and the name of a page. The link follows the page when you rename it. At the end of each page you see where it was mentioned.
Add dates
Type @ and a date, like @tomorrow 2pm. The line shows up in the Calendar on the right day. Paper understands dates in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Organize in folders
In the sidebar, the folder button creates a new folder. Drag pages into it. Folders can live inside folders.
Take it to other devices
In Settings → Sync, connect Google Drive once. Each page becomes a file in the Paper folder of your Drive, and your phone and computer stay the same. See Sync with Google Drive.
Shortcuts worth knowing
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl K | Search anything |
| Ctrl Z | Undo, even deleting a page |
| Ctrl Shift Space | Quick note, without picking a page |
| Ctrl Shift L | Switch between reading and editing |
| Esc | Select the block; Shift ↑↓ selects several |
On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.
Quick notes
Ctrl Shift Space opens a small box to write without thinking about where to keep it. Everything lands in the Inbox, and you organize it later.
Your language
The app speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish. Change it in Settings → Appearance → Language and region: the choice applies to all your devices. Dates, times and numbers follow your region.
Next steps
- Writing and reading: blocks, reading mode and page templates.
- Vaults, folders and pages: how to keep work, study and personal life apart.
- Privacy and security: password pages and what Paper can see.